Article depository



Jan. 20, 1959 L. JENSEN ARTICLE DEPOSITORY Filed Novr 2.2, 1957 INVENTOR{24W yummy BY 41, 5

ATTORNEY United States Patent ARTICLE DEPOSITORY Louis Jensen, London,Ontario, Canada, assignor to Kelco Engineering Limited, London, Ontario,Canada Application November 22, 1957, Serial No. 698,095

2 4 Claims. (Cl. 232-44) This invention relates to an articledepository. It is frequently of great convenience to provide meanspermitting the deposit of articles for safekeeping or servicing outsideof regular service hours in establishments such as banks, stores,laundries, cleaners, and the like. have heretofore been proposed, theyare frequently subject to one or more objectionable characteristics,such as awkwardness in use, faulty operation, lack of adequateprotection, and complicated construction.

It is an object of this invention to provide an article depository whichis of simple and inexpensive construction, which is subject toconvenient installation, which is fully automatic and positive inoperatiomwhich is easy to use, and which provides satisfactoryprotection for articles deposited therein.

The invention resides in an article depository comprising rear, side andtop walls, an access door constituting a front wall and hingedly mountedalong the lower edge thereof for outward swinging movement to openthedoor, a trap door constituting the bottom wall of said depositoryhingedly mounted along the forward edge thereof, and manually operablemeans having a fixed sequence of operating movements and movableinitially to close and lock said trap door and thereafter open saidaccess door and subsequently moveable to close said access door andthereafter unlock and open said trap door.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure l is a plan view of the depository with theaccess door in open position,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the depository as shown in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a suitablearrangement for the depository.

Referring to the drawing, the depository is arranged for support in aframe 1 which may be mounted in a door, window, wall or the like of thebuilding in which the articles are to be deposited. The frame 1, asshown, comprises a pair of horizontal members 2 mounted in a panel 3 ofthe building and a pair of upright members 4 connecting the twohorizontal members 2 and forming While various types of devices for thispurpose.

2,869, 78 Patented Jan. 20, 1959 A trap door 13 is arranged toconstitute the bottom wall of the depository and, as shown, is hingedlymounted at 14 between the lower front corner portions of side walls 7.Trap door 13 has side edge flanges 15 adapted to overlie the side walls7 in closed position, and its rear edge may be provided with a roundedlip 16.

a rectangular frame defining a complementary opening'S in the panel.

The depository, which is preferably formed of metal, includes a rearwall 6 and side walls 7 which may be integral with the rear wall. Anangle or like member 8 extends transversely between the lower frontcorners of the walls 7 to which the member 8 is fixed. An angle or likemember 9 extends transversely between the upper front corners of thewalls 7 to which the member 9 is fixed. Each side wall 7 is providedwith a right angular flange 10 at its front edge. An access door 11 ishingedly mounted at 12 along its lower edge on angle member 8, and itwill be observed that, in the closed position of door 11, the flanges 10and angle member 9 form a bearing surface for the periphery of the door.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the depository is arranged forremovable mounting in the frame 1 whereby it may be readily withdrawnfrom use. To this end, a pair of brackets 17 on the inner surface oflower horizontal member 2, provide sockets in which may be seated anglemember 8. A plate 18 is hingedly mounted at 19 to the upper horizontalmember 2, to constitute both a closure for the opening 5, when thedepository is not in use, as shown in Figure 3, and the top wall of thedepository when it is in use, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Plate 18 hasa pair of catches 20 which, in the closure forming position thereof,engage lugs 21 on frame 2, to lock it in position, and, in the top wallforming position thereof, engage lugs 22 on rear wall 6.

The depository is utilized in service by manually operable means now tobe described. A handle 23 in the form of a bar extending horizontallyacross the front face of access door 11 has an arm 24 extendingrearwardly from each end thereof. Each arm 24 extends through arespective slot 25 in door 11 to which the arm is pivotally secured, asindicatedat 26, at a point which positions the handle 23 in spacedrelation to the forward face of the door. Each arm 24 also extendsthrough a respective slot 28 in flange 10 and its rear end is pivoted at29 to one end of a link 30, the other end of which is pivoted at 31 to arespective flange 15 of the trap door 13. A roller 32 mounted on eachpivotal connection 29 is arranged to traverse the cam edge surface of arespec tive cam plate 33 which is mounted in parallel spaced relation tothe outer surface of each side wall 7. it will be apparent that each arm24 and link 30 extends between a cam plate 33 and the respective sidewall 7.

Each cam surface comprises a curved top portion 34, and a curved rearportion 35 extending downwardly from such top portion 34. Cam portion 34is terminated by a projection 36 and cam portion 35 is terminated by aprojection 37. Thus, the projections 36 and 37 define the limits oftravel of the roller 32 on the cam surface.

When the access door 11 is closed, as indicated in dotted lines inFigure 2, the trap door 13 is open as shown. In this position, rollers32 are in engagement with projections 37. A user wishing to use thedeposi tory will initially depress handle 23 which will swing it andarms 24 about pivots 26. This will cause rollers 32 to move upwardlyuntil it reaches closed position which coincides with the juncture ofcam portions 35 and 34. Thereafter, handle 23 may be pulled forwardlywith rollers 32 moving forwardly along cam portions 34 such movementcausing door 11 to be swung open. The full open position of door 11 isdefined when rollers 32 engage projections 36. Thereafter, articles maybe placed in the depository trap door 13 being rigidly locked in closedposition to adequately support the same. Following placing of thearticles in the depository, the handle 23 is actuated initially to closeaccess door 11 and finally to open trap door 13 to discharge by gravitythe articles from the depository.

It will be apparent that when one of doors 11 and 13 is open, the otheris rigidly locked in closed position. This is a quite importantsafeguard, particularly in that user must close and lock the trap door13 before access door 11 can be opened.

There has thus been provided a depository of simple, rugged constructionwhich is subject to convenient positive operation by the user.

I claim:

1. An article depository comprising rear, side and top walls, a hingedlymounted accessdooncohstitutinga front wall, a hingedly mounted trap doorconstituting a bottom wall, ahandle having a pair of arms piyotallysecured to 'said access door, a link iiivo'tally 'clonneicting. eachsaid arm withsaid trap door, sai be ng v in tially swingable to movesaid trap door into closed, po

tion and thereafter movable to swing saida'cces's d. r into openposition, and cam means 'defining sal mdve, ments ofsaid arms;

2. An article depository comprising rear, side and. top. walls, ahingedly mounted accessd'oor. constitutingf'af front wall, a hingedlymounted trap door constituting; a bottom wall, a handle havinga pairo'farms pivotally secured to said access door, a paii of linkspivotally, connected to said trap door. and each having a pivotalconnection with oneof said'arms,,a cam engaging mem; ber carried byeach. said pivotal connection, and a pair of cam plates each. having a'surfaceengageable by said'cam engaging member, each said cam surfacehav: ing a portion defining swinging movement of said. trap; door anda'second portiondefining swinging movement, of'said'access door.

3. In combination with a frame arranged for.n1ounting in a buildingsaidframe defining an opening in Wall ofsaid' building, and a hingedlymounted plate swingable. to close said. opening, an'article depositorycomprising rear' an d' sidewalls removablys'eated. in s aidframe, saidplate being swingablev to'fonn the top walloffsaiid pository, a hingedlymounted access dear constituting a, front wall", a hi'ngedly' mountedtrap. door constituting.

a bottom wall, a handle havinga pair of arms pivotally secured to saidaccess door, a link pivotally connecting e'aclisaidariiiwithsaid' trapdooi'fsaid arms 'b'e'iiig'ini tially swingable to move said trap doorinto closed position and thereafter movable to swing said access doorinto open position, and cam means defining said movements of said arms.

4. An article depository comprising rear, side and top walls, a hingedlymounted access door constituting a front wall, a hingedly mounted trapdoor constituting a bottom wall, and. manually operable means having. afixed seq'uence of operating movements andmovable initially to close andlock said trap door and thereafter open said" access door, andsubsequently 'i'nov'eable to close said access door and thereafterunlock and open said trap door, said manually operable means comprisinga handle having an arm pivotally mounted on said access door, a linkpivoted to said arm and to said trap door to swing said-trap door, in,response. to. pivotal. movement of. said arm, a. darnfplate. having a.cam'surface, a. cam

surface, engaging member carried by said arm, said access. door. beingswingable said hznldle, said, cam;

surface having upo iio'n. defining the extent. of swinging movementofsaid trap door, and. a. second portion definiiii'g'jthe extent ofswinging movement of. said access. door.

Re e win t an W UNlTED STAIE S BATEN T S

